re: Beer Vending Machines

quote:

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all over the place in Tokyo

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That was probably the thing that surprised me the most about back streets of Tokyo - the number of beer vending machines, and a hundred other things for sale in vending machines on the street.

They had little two gulp cans of diet coke. My Japanses friends would laugh at me when I would stop, buy a can of diet coke and kill it in two gulps and then catch up with them as we walked down the street.

I could hear them saying the equivalent of "Oh look at the big round eyed guy with the Diet Coke addiction." in Japanese as they laughed at me.

I am still something of a folk hero in Japan (at least among the 30 people I worked with). The back story involves an earthquake and feats of old guy strength.